AdvoCare Classic Announces Matchups Through 2019 Season

The AdvoCare Classic has announced three additional premier matchups that will carry the series through the end of the decade.

The series continues a tradition of pitting two of college football’s top powers against each other at AT&T Stadium, located in Arlington, TX. The series began in 2009 when Oklahoma, ranked No. 3 in the country and led by reigning Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford, suffered a 14-13 upset loss to No. 20 BYU. For the next decade the AdvoCare Classic produced compelling matchups, exciting finishes, and premier games to kick off the college football season, and the future matchups in store seem likely to continue that trend.

The 2017 contest will feature the Florida Gators making their first-ever appearance in AT&T Stadium. The Gators will matchup against the Michigan Wolverines in a major cross-sectional showdown. The game, which will be played on Saturday, September 2, will be the first meeting in the regular season between the teams, but their fourth meeting overall. Traditionally the teams have battled in bowl games, with Michigan owning the upper hand. Michigan collected wins against the Gators in the 2003 Outback Bowl (38-30), the 2008 Capital One Bowl (41-35), and just recently in the 2016 Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl (41-7).

In 2018 the LSU Tigers return to AT&T Stadium and the AdvoCare Classic for their third appearance in the series. Their foe will be the Miami Hurricanes of the ACC on Saturday, September 1. LSU and Miami last faced each other in the 2005 Chick-fil-A Bowl, with LSU collecting a resounding 40-3 victory. The Tigers also lead the all-time series 9-3. Miami’s last win against the Tigers came in Tiger Stadium in 1988 when the Hurricanes drubbed the Tigers 44-3, tying the largest margin of victory in the series. LSU is 2-0 in its previous AdvoCare Classic appearances, defeating Oregon 40-27 to open the 2011 season and beating TCU 37-27 in 2012. Miami has not yet appeared in the AdvoCare Classic.

The 2019 contest continues the theme of pairing a newcomer with an AdvoCare Classic series veteran. On August 31, 2019, the Auburn Tigers and Oregon Ducks tangle in a rematch of the 2011 BCS Championship Game, the final game of the BCS era. The teams will meet for only the second time in history. Auburn defeated Oregon 22-19 on a field goal as time expired in the 2011 title game. Oregon’s lone previous appearance in the series came in 2011 when they fell to another set of SEC Tigers, the LSU Tigers, 40-27.

Since 2009, the AdvoCare Classic has hosted three teams that played in the national championship game the previous season. That will happen again in 2016 when the reigning national champion Alabama Crimson Tide host the USC Trojans. Additionally, the AdvoCare Classic has served as a launching pad for teams advancing to the national championship game, with the AdvoCare Classic participant winning two of those national championship contests, most recently in 2015 (Alabama Crimson Tide).

A true destination for fans, the state-of-the-art AT&T Stadium is home to the AdvoCare Classic, the Dallas Cowboys, and many other world-class events. The stadium features cutting edge technology and some of the largest high-definition screens in the world, along with world class art, a retractable roof, more than 350 suites, and a total immersive fan experience.